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West of 7 Avenida, while there are still small enclaves of upmarket housing, and several expensive shopping areas, things are really dominated by commerce and transport, including the infamous Zona 4 bus terminal , at 1 C and 4 Av. This area is probably the country's most impenetrable and intimidating jungle, a brutish swirl of petty thieves, hardware stores, bus fumes and sleeping vagrants. Around the terminal the largest market in the city spreads across several blocks. To get to the bus terminal from Zona 1, take any of the buses marked "terminal" from 4 Av or 9 Av, all of which pass within a block or two. Some 2km further to the south in Zona 13, reachable by bus #63 from 4 Avenida or #83 from 10 Avenida, Parque Aurora houses the city's remodelled zoo (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; US$1.20), home to African lions, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, giraffes, Indian elephants, hippos, monkeys and all the Central and South American big cats, including some well-fed jaguars. Most of the larger animals have a reasonable amount of space; many smaller animals do not. On the other side of Parque Aurora is a collection of three state-run museums (all Tues-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat & Sun 9am-noon & 1.30-4pm). The best of these is the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia (US$5), which has a world-class selection of Maya artefacts, though the design and displays are somewhat antiquated. The collection includes sections on prehistoric archeology and ethnology and features some wonderful stelae and panels from Machaquila and Dos Pilas, spectacular jade masks from Abaj Takalik and a stunning wooden temple-top lintel from Tikal. However, it's the exhibits collected from Piedras Negras, one of the remotest sites in Peten, that are most impressive. Stela 12, dating from 672 AD, brilliantly depicts a cowering captive king begging for mercy, and there's a monumental carved stone throne from the same site, richly engraved with superb glyphs and decorated with a twin-faced head. Right opposite the archeological museum, the city's Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno (US$1.70) also suffers from poor presentation and layout but can boast some imaginative geometric paintings by Dagoberto Vasquez, vibrant semi-abstract work by the indigenous artist Rolando Ixquiac Xicara and a collection of startling exhibits by Efrain Recinos, including a colossal sculpture made from the unlikely combination of a marimba (signifying Maya culture) and a tank (signifying the military). There's also a permanent collection of bold Cubist art and massive murals by Carlos Merida, Guatemala's most celebrated artist, which draw strongly on ancient Maya tradition. The most neglected of the three museums, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (US$1.70), features a range of mouldy-looking stuffed animals from Guatemala and elsewhere and a few mineral samples. Close by on 11 Avenida is a touristy handicraft market , while to the south is Aurora airport.
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